The present invention relates to a turret punch press, and more particularly to a turret punch press able to process a workpiece without causing damage to the workpiece.
A conventional turret punch press comprises a rotatable upper turret provided with upper tools and a rotatable lower turret provided with lower tools. The upper and lower tools include a plurality of upper and lower tools for punching a workpiece and a plurality of upper and lower tools for forming a workpiece, respectively. A movable striker is vertically mounted so as to strike the upper tool positioned in a working area where the workpiece is processed. A disc support for supporting the lower turret when the striker hits the upper tool is provided under the lower turret.
In the above turret punch press, to perform forming, the top ends of the lower tools for forming are positioned above a pass line (feed level height) for the workpiece. As a result, the punch press includes the following faults:
1. Workpiece damage. The workpiece is damaged when it touches the lower tools for forming during the positioning of the workpiece. Further, the workpiece is damaged when it is punched while being placed on the lower tools for forming.
2. Workpiece inclined. The workpiece is inclined when it is placed on both the lower tool for punching and the lower tool for forming. Thus, proper processing cannot be achieved.